Spy Glass

25

BIRTH MORE MAGICIANS. DIDN’T EXPECT THAT LITTLE revelation. It was far worse than anything my overactive imagination had produced.

Galen delighted in my shocked silence. “I’m to become a member, as well. I’m looking forward to doing my part for the family. Walsh has developed this whole breeding program. It’s quite impressive.”

I rallied. “I’m still able to refuse orders.”

“Not for long.”

We continued the journey south, reaching the Daviian Plateau on the sixth day. Any chance I’d have to seek help from a fellow traveler or local died as we turned west and entered the plateau. No one lived there. The Daviian Warpers had tried, but they were long gone.

The flat expanse stretched to the horizon. Brown clumps of grass dotted the cracked and sunbaked soil. A few stunted trees clung to life.

“Do you have enough food and water?” I asked Galen.

“We’ll let Quartz lead us to water. As for food, I should be able to snare a few rabbits.”

It would take us ten days to cross the plateau. Ten days with the sun’s heat beating down on us, and we were only halfway through the heating season. At least we would be on the coast before the blazing hot season.

In order to find water, I had to communicate with Quartz, using a small bit of magic each time.

Halfway across the plateau, I felt restless and craved…action. When we stopped, I paced around the campfire unable to sit.

Food did not help. Water failed to quench the unrelenting need. Pulling my hair just to feel something different only helped for a second.

Galen watched me with a gleam in his eyes. Eventually the plateau faded from my awareness as the hunger dominated all my senses. It hurt. An ache stabbed deep within me as if a person squeezed a pressure point on my heart.

I huddled on the ground, rocking back and forth. No position eased the excruciating desire.

A cool touch on my skin sent a surge of instant relief. I looked over at Galen. He crouched next to me with his hand resting on my shoulder.

“You desire more magic. Let me—”

“No.” I knocked his arm away and the all-consuming yearning flooded me. I rolled into a ball. Now that I was aware of what would relieve the pain, I felt worse.

At one point, I pulled magic to me, packing it into my body, hoping it would satisfy my hunger. It didn’t. In fact, it was just another link in the chain binding me to Galen.

“Opal, let me help you,” he whispered in my ear.

Shaking with an unstoppable desire, I nodded.

“Relax your left arm,” he instructed.

I let him pry it from where I had clamped it around my knees. His touch no longer cooled. Through my haze of pain, I realized he straddled me. Then metal pricked my arm. A mere annoyance compared to the crushing need. Liquid fire raced through my veins, extinguishing the agonizing desire, leaving me limp and gasping.

Galen leaned over me. He held a syringe.

“Whose blood?” I asked.

“More of mine.” He rubbed his thumb over the spot. I hissed in pain.

He moved away. Spent, I flopped to the ground. Now I truly understood how Devlen felt. How the addiction was to blame. Ulrick, too. He didn’t know what he had gotten himself into when he agreed to switch souls with Devlen.

I considered. This “treatment” had been free. What would the next one cost? Would I be able to resist? If I kept using magic, it wouldn’t matter. Galen would force me to do whatever he wanted.

Twenty-six days. The trip from Ognap to the Lion’s Claw Peninsula lasted a total of twenty-six long, horrible, terrible days. Heading west, we crossed the plateau, cut through the narrow tip of Cowan’s lands, bypassing my hometown of Booruby—those days had been my darkest of the trip, envisioning my family and friends gathered for my flag-raising ceremony—and we skimmed above Bloodgood’s southern border. Galen avoided all major towns and cities.

We arrived at the Bloodroses’ outer wall in the afternoon. Located on the tip of the Lion’s Claw Peninsula, the compound was isolated from the rest of the Bloodgood lands. The narrow finger of land jutted out into the Jade Sea. Blue-green water glinted from both sides of the peninsula. The extra beachfront added to their annual pearl harvest.

The eight-foot-high stone wall contained only one gate. The wrought iron was spotted with rust. Galen called to the two guards on the other side. They opened it without hesitation. The gate’s hinges creaked in protest.

The complex hadn’t changed in the year since I had visited. A few stunted trees and scrub bushes grew in the otherwise barren landscape. The tangy scent of the sea filled the area with a moist mist. Even though clan members moved between the buildings, the only sounds to reach us were the constant roll and crash of the waves and the shriek of gulls as they dived and fought over the discarded oyster shells.

Beyond the massive wall, small cottages built from bamboo were arranged in perfect lines. Past them was a smattering of sun-bleached public buildings. The beaches on each side of the peninsula had a long structure built in the sand. On the northern coast, children dived for oysters, carrying buckets of them into the shade of the sorting area. Adolescents pushed wheelbarrows full of sand and hunks of black rocks on the southern coast. Armed guards watched both. The excuse for their presence had been to protect the clan from pirates and thieves.

It was quite the operation. Pearls, diamonds and breeding magic. My stomach felt as if I had eaten too many raw oysters.

After leaving the horses in the stable, Galen led us to Walsh’s office. He ignored Walsh’s assistant. Her protest died on her lips when he frowned at her. Smart girl. But she did hover in the threshold, lacing her hands over her bulging belly. I swallowed. She looked about fifteen years old—way too young to be with child.

Walsh’s skeletal face lit up when he spotted me. He stood from behind his desk and came around with his arm extended.

“Opal, welcome back. It’s so nice to see you,” Walsh said, flashing stained teeth as he smiled. He wore all white. It matched his long white hair.

I clasped his hand and suppressed a cringe at the creepy feel of his bony fingers wrapped around mine. “I wish I could say the same.”

He kept hold of my hand. Power swept over my skin. I fought the urge to block his invasive scan. For the last fifteen days, I hadn’t needed another shot of blood magic. By not using power, I extended the time between bouts of withdrawal. According to Galen, I couldn’t avoid it altogether. I sensed things would change. And not for the better.

Walsh patted my hand with his free one. “Your unique powers have fascinated me. I’m looking forward to exploring them with you. I’m sure you’ll love it here with time. Even during the hot season, there’s a cool breeze from the sea. No one bothers us with their petty political wrangling and back-stabbing. It’s paradise.”

He finally released my hand and addressed Galen as if I wasn’t standing right there. “She’s healthy and strong. A little old. We should breed her right away. But all in all a nice addition to our family.”

Even though I had been warned, I still gaped at him.

“Opal, wait for me in the reception area. I’ll be right out,” Galen ordered.

“Penny, fetch our new sister something to drink,” Walsh said to his assistant.

She gestured for me to precede her, and shut the door behind us.

“What would you like?” she asked me.

“Nothing.”

She gave me a miserable look. Her drab tan skirt dragged on the ground, and she kept smoothing the fabric of her dull off-white tunic over her stomach.

“Water is fine,” I said.

Relieved, she rushed off. I pressed my ear to the door. They talked about the black diamonds and plans to make super messengers. Since I already knew greed was a motivating factor for Galen and Walsh, I wasn’t sure what I had been hoping to overhear. The topic changed to me and I strained.

“How soon until she’s yours?” Walsh asked Galen.

“Not long. She has a soft spot for others.”

“Then finish it. She’s dangerous right now. House her in the brig until we can trust her.”

Footsteps sounded and I backed away from the door.

Galen was amused. “Any questions?”

“What did you mean by I have ‘a soft spot’?” I asked.

“You run to everyone’s rescue. I’m sure you wouldn’t hesitate to save a drowning child. Come on. I’ll give you a tour.”

I wondered when he had been here before as I trailed after him. He headed straight for the south coast. The long wooden building remained the same. Along the side open to the beach, workers wielded boxes with bottoms made from wire-mesh screens. They barely glanced at us. Using handheld spades, they filled the box with sand and then held it in the water flowing through a chute. The water washed away the sand, but left the rocks behind. After inspecting each black stone, a worker placed it in another box or tossed it onto a pile.

Galen answered my unspoken question, “Only the diamonds are kept.”

There weren’t many. “So not all those black rocks are diamonds?”

“Chunks of useless lava,” he said.

He poured the diamonds into his hand and left. The next building perched on the edge of a dune and resembled three of the bamboo cottages stuck together.

In the front room, Quinn worked at a table. He concentrated on the black stone in his hand. When he finished, he glared at Galen through the shaggy hair hanging in his face. Unaffected, Galen smiled and handed the young man the diamonds he carried.

“More for you to charge,” Galen said.

Quinn remained silent, but he turned his attention on me. With a flash of recognition he leaped to his feet. “You!” He rushed me.

I stepped to the side, dodging his attack. He hit the wall and pushed off, coming at me again. Running out of room to maneuver, I blocked and punched him. The hard muscles of his torso did more damage to my fist than to him. He wrapped his hands around my neck and squeezed.

“You bitch! You left us here!”

No air to respond, I slammed my arms down on the crook of his. Nothing. My vision turned to snow. I could be nasty and dig my thumbs into his eyes or strike his neck with a knife-hand, but I didn’t want to hurt him.

“Opal, use your magic,” Galen said. His voice sounded faraway.

No. Darkness claimed the edges of my world. Then with a jerk, the pressure on my neck released. Air burned in my throat. The pain didn’t stop me from sucking in huge lung-filling gulps.

When I regained my senses, I looked up. Galen held the adolescent in a headlock.

“Another person to add to your fan club, Opal,” Galen said in amusement. He released Quinn, but kept a wary eye on him. “You two should try and get along. After all, you’ll be working together.”

Quinn glowered at me as he tugged his shirt down and swept his black hair from his face.

“Working how?” My voice squeaked. Quinn was seventeen years old at most.

“There’s an interesting little twist to those super messengers. If I or any other magician charges the black diamond with magic, the damn thing cracks after the magic is used.”

“Like the clear diamonds?”

“Exactly. But if Quinn here charges the blacks, they work fine and he can recharge them again and again.”

“Did you enhance his powers with blood, too?”

“No. Quinn’s a Bloodrose. He does it for his clan.”

By the young man’s disgust, I knew Galen’s explanation was far from accurate.

“And my job?” I asked.

“Until you’re mine, you can encase the black diamonds in glass and teach Quinn how to do it,” Galen said.

He opened the door to the back room. The floor was concrete instead of sand and the walls were covered with stones. A kiln and a variety of glassmaking equipment littered the room, which even had a chimney. Barrels of lime and soda ash had been stacked in the corner.

“Everything you need is here. Get started. I’ll be back later.” Galen paused next to Quinn and whispered something to the young magician before leaving.

I waited for Quinn to attack again. But after shooting me a venom-filled glare, he returned to his table. It was the first time in half a season that Galen wasn’t with me. The hard knot in my chest eased just a bit and knowing I’d have access to a kiln gave me a tiny crumb of hope. But I’d need allies. I approached Quinn.

“Go away,” Quinn said in a low growl. He kept his gaze on the diamond in his hand. “Or I might do something you’ll regret.”

“Then I’ll just add it to my list.”

He ignored me.

“I’m sorry for leaving you here, Quinn.”

He continued to stare at the stone, but I sensed a change in the way he held his shoulders. Wearing a loose tan tunic over white pants, Quinn blended in with the bamboo walls and fine white sand under his bare feet.

“It was a mistake. An oversight. An inexcusable laziness on our part. Pick one. I could list reasons…or rather excuses for why we walked away, but it doesn’t help you.” I drew in a breath, trying to organize my thoughts. “I will fix it. And I’m going to need your help.”

He leaned back as if lost in thought. I waited. Finally, he met my gaze. “You’re going to need a miracle.”

Progress. “They’ve been known to happen,” I said.

“Not here. Although many of our new family members think being invited here is a miracle when they first arrive. We entice them from the streets and homeless shelters with promises of food. We welcome them in, provide them with clothing and shelter. They’re happy until they learn the price of admission—working and obeying Walsh. Until they discover they can never leave.”

“One woman escaped with her children.”

“No she didn’t. They found and killed her.”

“But they didn’t find her children.”

His surprise only lasted a second. “Good for them. I hope they stay hidden.”

“Would Walsh kill the children?” Even with all his creepiness, he didn’t act the type.

“No. Just drag them back here, and force them to work magic for him.”

Like Quinn. “What does he hold over you?” I asked.

“My sisters’ lives.”

I swallowed a dry lump, and felt it land with a thud. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Anger flared. “You don’t know the havoc your little visit caused?”

“Sorry, no.”

He surged to his feet, and I moved so the table remained between us. Instead of attacking, he ran a hand through his messy hair as if to collect his thoughts. Dark smudges under his gray eyes gave him an older appearance. His muscular build must be a result of all those years swimming and diving for oysters.

Quinn pulled the chair farther out and pointed. “Sit down. This is quite a tale.”

Not wanting to upset him, I perched on the edge of the seat.

“Your glass magic fascinated Walsh,” Quinn said. “Since he knew I had an…affinity for glass, he asked me to make those glass messengers. I couldn’t. My magic sticks to the glass, but that’s it.”

“You make the cold glass!” I said.

A flash of pride. “Yeah.” But then he switched to sarcasm. “More money for the Bloodrose Clan. Yippee.” He kicked the sand. “At least it worked better than the sea glass. That didn’t go at all like I had hoped.”

The sea glass had been found by Heli and brought back to the Stormdancers’ cave. Infused with magic, the glass made everyone go crazy with desire. They had fought over the pieces until I figured it out and diffused the magic.

“Was the sea glass a message for help?” I asked.

“Yes, but I couldn’t control my power so it backfired.”

Heli had been right. She had said she was close to deciphering the code. Mixed emotions rolled through me. If she understood the plea for help, would she tell Kade? Or rush to the rescue on her own? Knowing Heli, she would come alone and get herself into trouble. At least she was busy with the storm season.

“The issue with the messengers was resolved, but Walsh’s fascination with the quirks of magic, his words not mine, continued. He decided to implement his breeding program to see what would happen.”

I asked Quinn why the clan obeyed Walsh. “You outnumber the guards and he’s the only one with magic.”

“A few have tried, but they’re caught and punished. The first offense is a beating and confinement, but after that they force you to watch them hurt someone you care about….” He shuddered. “Everyone’s terrified.”

Valek’s lessons in strategy bubbled in my mind. “A few people won’t work anyway. Everyone needs to be committed. If the entire clan attacks at a prearranged time, it would be hard to counter.” I tapped my leg. “You’ll need a leader. Someone to convince them and to organize them. You’ll need captains who could be in charge of different areas.”

Quinn stared at me as if I had gone insane. Perhaps I had, but as much as I wanted to fix this situation, I couldn’t do it myself.

“If I’m caught helping you, my sister…” He shook his head.

“Where are they holding her?”

“She’s Walsh’s assistant. If I make any trouble, she’s within easy reach.”

“Even at night?”

He spat in disgust. “Especially at night. Who do you think is the baby’s father?”

Bile pushed up my throat. “Walsh.”

Bitterness rolled from Quinn. “Give the lady a prize.”

Walsh already started the program, but he wasn’t the only magician. “Did he—”

“He sends a new girl to me every couple of nights.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“Don’t worry. He still gives me some privacy. We rumple the bedding and make appropriate noises to entertain the guards outside my door. But Walsh’ll figure out what I’m not doing soon enough.”

“When no one becomes pregnant.”

“Yep. Then my privacy will be gone.”

“Don’t wait for that time. Take action. All those girls are probably grateful and their families would support you.”

“Won’t work. We don’t have weapons. Walsh’s guards can’t be bribed. We can’t get messages out. And now they dragged you here,” he said. “Just as screwed and helpless as the rest of us. Do you really believe you can fix it?”

“No idea. But I’m going to try.”

Over the next few days, I bided my time and worked with Quinn. With the kiln up and running hot, I created the super messengers as ordered. Galen seemed distracted and I took advantage. We experimented with the glass. In addition to creating the cold glass, Quinn could produce hot glass as well.

I dwelled on the positives. Quinn was free of blood magic. There had to be a way to capitalize on that. He could also move around the compound without causing suspicion. Each night as I slept in the brig—a large cottage with a couple of locked rooms, bars on the windows, a cement floor and an area for a guard—I planned out Quinn’s next lesson.

I taught Quinn how to thumb a bubble and we made an orb. Any glass container would work, but an orb reminded me of Kade and happier times. After I cracked off the orb into the annealing oven to cool, I showed him the amazing versatility of glass.

“If you sand the edge with the flat side of a diamond, it will become sharp enough to cut skin,” I said. I also instructed him on fighting tactics, and how to spot weaknesses in an opponent.

Quinn understood my hints. During one session, he rounded on me in anger. “It’s easy for you to talk about a rebellion. You have nothing at stake. You have all this magic, yet you obey Galen and Walsh. You can use one of those super messengers and call for help for all of us. But you hand them over. Why should I listen to you?”

“Because, if you think fighting back now is too hard, if I use my magic to send for help, you will have no chance at all.” I explained about the blood connection. “I’m saving my free magic to take out your two biggest opponents. In fact, if you organize a revolt, don’t tell me any of your plans. Don’t trust me. If Galen forces me to use my magic and I’m…lost to him, take me out first. I’ll be your strongest opponent.”

Quinn looked a little green, but he nodded.

Unfortunately, whatever had distracted Galen stopped after four days. Then he launched an aggressive campaign to get me to use my magic. I resisted even when the guards whipped a woman. Quinn needed more time, and I rationalized one person’s suffering, although horrible, was better than the whole clan being in danger. After three unsuccessful days, Galen switched to children and I could no longer resist.

The links in my chain built rapidly. Five days later the shakes started. I ignored the initial signs of withdrawal and concentrated on teaching Quinn. But once the tremors in my muscles could no longer be disregarded, I raced to the brig and collapsed on the bed. The hunger grew inside me. I fought it, keeping my thoughts on other things—my family, friends, Kade, Devlen. In time, nothing distracted me from the need. Every single part of me craved magic and I struggled with the desire to pull it toward me. The suffering seemed endless.

I was granted a moment of clarity and relief when Galen visited. He held my orb in one hand. His other rested on my arm.

He brandished the orb. “What were you planning to do with this?”

Strung out, I couldn’t produce any emotions over his discovery. “Suck you and Walsh dry,” I said.

“In order to siphon my magic, you would have to sacrifice your own again.”

I shrugged. “Unoriginal, but it works.”

“Temporarily.”

“Why?”

“Walsh and I have stockpiled our blood. Drain us now and we’ll just reclaim it by injecting our saved blood. Thanks to you, we already know it works.”

“Glad to be of service.” At this point sarcasm remained my only weapon.

Galen handed me the orb. Potential throbbed under my fingertips. Too easy. A trap. “What if I just drain myself?” I asked.

“Go ahead.”

A trick. In order to siphon my own magic, I would have to use magic. The effort would finish the chain and he would stop me. Not enough time for Quinn.

“I didn’t think you’d fall for it,” Galen said. “You’re very resistant. It’s a good quality. However Walsh is very impatient.” He removed his hand.

The longing returned full force. I trembled and shook. Sweat stung my eyes as wave after wave of raw need rocked me. At one point I realized I still clutched the orb. A survival instinct kicked in and I closed my eyes, focusing on the potential in my hands. I was desperate enough to try siphoning my powers, hoping I could do it faster than Galen could stop me.

Summoning the strength, I— The orb was yanked away.

“No,” Galen said.

I opened my eyes. He loomed over me. Before I could protest, he jabbed a needle into my arm.

Instant relief spread throughout my body, smothering the craving.

Galen’s gleeful voice woke me.

“Today’s the day.” He poked my arm.

I flinched away. “The day for what?” I asked.

“The final link in your chain. This is going to be fun and so easy.” Galen strode from my room and flung the main entrance door wide-open. Heli stood on the other side.